5 ft 8 in (172.7 cm)
A commonly listed height, as Wikipedia gives it, with no date or method, so shoes and rounding may be part of the number.
Source: Wikipedia
How tall was James K. Polk?
James K. Polk is commonly listed at 5 ft 8 in (172.7 cm).
A figure repeated without a date or a measurement. Where this height comes from
James K. Polk’s 5 ft 8 in (172.7 cm) is a little below average for a US man: about 38 in 100 US men are shorter.
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James K. Polk beside others
James K. Polk is one of the shorter US presidents we have heights for: Abraham Lincoln (6 ft 4 in) stands 8 in (20.3 cm) taller and James Madison (5 ft 4 in) is 4 in (10.2 cm) shorter. All 45 ranked, tallest first.
Also listed at 5 ft 8 in: William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor and Ulysses S. Grant.
More US presidents, most looked up first
Where this height comes from
Photo: George Peter Alexander Healy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.
Compared with James K. Polk
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Cite this page
| APA | Heightvs. (2026, November 3). How tall was James K. Polk? 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) vs you. https://heightvs.com/how-tall/james-k-polk |
|---|---|
| MLA | “How Tall Was James K. Polk? 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) vs You.” Heightvs, 3 Nov. 2026, heightvs.com/how-tall/james-k-polk. |
| Chicago | “How Tall Was James K. Polk? 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) vs You.” Heightvs. Last modified November 3, 2026. https://heightvs.com/how-tall/james-k-polk. |
| Link | <a href="https://heightvs.com/how-tall/james-k-polk">How tall was James K. Polk? 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) vs you (Heightvs)</a> |
For the height itself, cite the original publisher as well: Wikipedia.
